Friday 30 August 2013

Romanesque (Part Three).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Speyer---Cathedral---South-View---(Gentry).jpg


English: The Minor Basilica of Speyer Cathedral 
(Kaiser- und Mariendom zu Speyer), viewed from the South.
Deutsch: Südseite des Kaiser- und Mariendoms zu Speyer.
Русский: Шпайерский собор, вид с юга.
Photo: 31 August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sole Creator and Copyright Holder: Alfred Hutter aka Gentry.
The copyright holder of this file, Alfred Hutter, allows anyone to use it 
for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder 
is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, 
commercial use, and all other use is permitted. 
Attribution: Image by Alfred Hutter.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and Saint Stephen, 
in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae (German: Dom zu Unserer lieben Frau in Speyer) 
in Speyer, Germany, is the Seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer 

The Cathedral, which is dedicated to Saint Mary, Patron Saint of Speyer ("Patrona Spirensis"), 
and Saint Stephen, is generally known as Kaiserdom zu Speyer (Imperial Cathedral of Speyer). 
Pope Pius XI raised Speyer Cathedral to the Rank of a Minor Basilica 
of the Roman Catholic Church in 1925.


File:SpeyererDom SchraudolphGemälde.JPG


Paintings by Schraudolph 
in Speyer Cathedral, Germany.
Photo: 31 October 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Joachim Köhler.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Begun in 1030, under Conrad II, with the East End and High Vault of 1090-1103, 
the imposing Triple-Aisled Vaulted Basilica, of red sandstone, is the "culmination of a design 
which was extremely influential in the subsequent development of Romanesque architecture 
during the 11th-Century and the 12th-Century".

As the burial site for SalianStaufer and Habsburg Emperors and Kings, the Cathedral 
is regarded as a symbol of Imperial Power.

With the Abbey of Cluny in ruins, it remains the largest Romanesque Church. 
It is considered to be "a turning point in European architecture", one of the most important architectural monuments of its time and one of the finest Romanesque monuments.

In 1981, the Cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites as "a major monument of Romanesque art in the German Empire".


File:Carcassonne-vignes.jpg


English: Carcassonne, France. View of the Mediaeval town and vineyards.
Français: Carcassonne, France, vue de la cité médiévale, vignes.
Author: Harry.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Much of Europe was affected by Feudalism, in which peasants held tenure, from local rulers, over the land that they farmed in exchange for military service. The result of this was that they could be called upon, not only for local and regional spats, but to follow their lord to travel across Europe to the Crusades, if they were required to do so.

The Crusades, 1095–1270, brought about a very large movement of people and, with them, ideas and trade skills, particularly those involved in the building of fortifications and the metal-working needed for the provision of arms, which was also applied to the fitting and decoration of buildings. The continual movement of people, Rulers, nobles, Bishops, Abbots, craftsmen and peasants, was an important factor in creating a homogeneity in building methods and a recognisable Romanesque style, despite regional differences.

Life became generally less secure after the Carolingian period. This resulted in the building of Castles at strategic points, many of them being constructed as strongholds of the Normans, descendants of the Vikings, who invaded Northern France in 911 A.D. Political struggles also resulted in the fortification of many towns, or the rebuilding and strengthening of walls that remained from the Roman period. One of the most notable surviving fortifications is that of the city of Carcassonne. The enclosure of towns brought about a lack of living space within the walls, and resulted in a style of town-house that was tall and narrow, often surrounding communal courtyards, as at San Gimignano in Tuscany.


File:London Tower (1).JPG


EnglishThe Tower of London, (1078).
Ελληνικά: Ο Πύργος του Λονδίνου.
Photo: 7 August 2004.
Source: Έργο αυτού που το ανεβάζει (own work).
Author: Georgios Pazios (Alaniaris).
The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, 
provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. 
Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Carcasonneouterwall.jpg


The Castle at Carcassonne, France.
Photo: 25 July 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: bmsgator.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In Germany, the Holy Roman Emperors built a number of residences, fortified, but essentially Palaces rather than Castles, at strategic points and on trade routes. The Imperial Palace of Goslar (heavily restored in the 19th-Century) was built in the early 11th-Century by Otto III and Henry III, while the ruined Palace at Gelnhausen was received by Frederick Barbarossa, prior to 1170.

The movement of people and armies also brought about the building of bridges, some of which have survived, including the 12th-Century bridge at Besalú, Catalonia, the 11th-Century Puente de la Reina, Navarre, Spain, and the Pont-Saint-Bénézet, Avignon.


File:San Gimignano.JPG


Many towns, such as San Gimignano, Italy, were enclosed with walls, 
causing crowding and the building of tower houses.
Photo: 9 April 2006.
Source: Uploaded by User:RicciSpeziari
Author: Basilio Speziari.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Across Europe, the Late-11th-Century and 12th-Century saw an unprecedented growth in the number of Churches. A great number of these buildings, both large and small, remain, some almost intact and others altered almost beyond recognition in later centuries.

They include many very well-known Churches, such as Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in Rome, the Baptistery in Florence and San Zeno Maggiore, in Verona. In France, the famous Abbeys of Aux Dames and Les Hommes at Caen and Mont Saint-Michel, date from this period, as well as the Abbeys of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.


File:Mont St Michel 3, Brittany, France - July 2011.jpg


as viewed along the Couesnon River
in Brittany, France.
Photo: 5 July 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Diliff.
Attribution: Photo by DAVID ILIFF. 
License: CC-BY-SA 3.0
(Wikimedia Commons)


Many Cathedrals owe their foundation to this date, with others beginning as Abbey Churches, and, later, becoming Cathedrals. In England, of the Cathedrals of ancient foundation, all were begun in this period, with the exception of Salisbury Cathedral, where the Monks relocated from the Norman Church at Old Sarum, and several, such as Canterbury Cathedral, which were rebuilt on the site of Saxon Churches.

In Spain, the most famous Church of the period is Santiago de Compostela. In Germany, the Rhine and its tributaries were the location of many Romanesque Abbeys, notably Mainz, Worms, Speyer and Bamberg. In Cologne, then the largest city North of the Alps, a very important group of large city Churches survives largely intact. As Monasticism spread across Europe, Romanesque Churches sprang up in Scotland, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Sicily, Serbia and Tunisia. Several important Romanesque Churches were built in the Crusader Kingdoms.


PART FOUR FOLLOWS.


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